A short break in Albion

Pungent whifs of teen spirit keep me awake on the train home after yet another Peter Doherty gig. As always as soon as he walks on the crowd surge to the barrier, where it becomes a throng of sweaty bodies entwining. Yet despite this frankly disgusting image, there is something quite comforting in the fact that inhibitions are forgotton as the first chord of ‘Sheepskin Tearaway’ rings out to the dying moments of Albion hugs, sweat, cheers and friendships are created and all is good in the world.

What is it about this 31 year old man, who ten years ago created a new generation of leather jackets, skinny jeans, long hair rebelling youth,that can still capture the hearts of those who don’t read the Daily mail?  No two gigs have ever had the same crowd, from the young angry teens to the mature married couples his able to reach a chord in all of us. Something which no artist has been able to do since. It’s still the Libertines songs which generate the most frenetic responses, no doubt reaching a new generation after the Reading and Leeds sets a few years back,  but there is a growing crowd who call for the babyshambles and Grace/Wastelands songs.